The day after the evening of the DAY, I woke up feeling a little surreal. I knew something momentous had happened that had captured everyone’s attention, something neither horrific, like 9/11, terrible, like the financial meltdown (admittedly an ongoing discussion) nor strange and superficial, like Susan Lucci’s weird goodbye speech on “Dancing with the Stars”. Apparently, we’d elected a young, thin, African-American person with a young, attractive family to be President of the United States. Equally apparent, this occasioned even more professional/amateur, thoughtful/inane, heartfelt/petty commentary than usual. With so many people writing and talking so much through so many outlets and all of us gobbling it up, I thought it might be interesting to single out for special notice some of the more interesting incidents, as well as various sample comments, reactions and analysis I spotted during my slog through the blanket coverage.
Most moving election-night visual: the shots of the crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park
Most over-exposed visual: the shots of the crowd in Grant Park
Shot of the crying face that got to me: Jesse Jackson
Shot of the crying face that didn’t do it for me: Oprah
Weirdest TV moment: CNN’s use of holograms, which was like watching a sputtering Starship Transporter (“Beam me up, Scotty.” “I’m trying!”). Bring back split screen.
Most over-the-top commentator:Chris Matthews on MSNBC
Most restrained commentator: Andersen Cooper on CNN. Didn’t he want to poke his hand through those holograms?
Most gracious speech: McCain’s concession speech; where was that guy during the campaign?
Near-miss moment: Sarah Palin apparently showed up ready to deliver one of two versions of her speech before McCain’s. Aides nixed the idea.
Oddest international snapshot: the Japanese crowds yelling for Obama
Most moving international snapshot: the young Palestinian shown drawing a picture of Obama along with a dove holding an olive branch. Lots of expectations reflected in that sketch.
Most hysterical blog post: Andy Borowitz, with the post title, “Failure to Blow Election Stuns Democrats”
Most interesting offer: Sarah Palin offering to help Obama craft his energy policies. Um, thanks a lot.
Most tepid congratulatory comment imaginable: Jim Manzi in the National Review, who said: “I continue to believe that Barack Obama is likely to be a poor President who will attempt to implement policies that will be detrimental to the national interest…. But I’m spending today proud abut what my country has overcome.” Um, thanks a lot.
Coolest comment: In an article about what kind of social life Washington can expect, Christopher Buckley, lately of National Review until he endorsed Obama (welcome to the dark side, Chris) wrote in the NY Times, “He’s a cool cat and I think he’s going to bring cool catness back…”
1 Woman' s Vu by Nikki Stern 
Thank you for doing the hard slogging through the soggy blogosphere to bring us these gems, both dark and light.
You are a bright spot in the week.
Blessings,
Mike
i can’t help thinking it’s awesome that there has been such long lines all over… people taking a greater interest in public issues is always a good thing
Cool catness would be KEWL! I just hope the big “fro” doesn’t come back. Congratulations Americans from a Canuck who is very excited for your whole country.
I was lucky enough to watch the election returns with a bunch of my grad students. We were all overcome with emotion. I was conscious of having lived through more of a past than they had– I mean a past landmined with episodes of racial hatred, from the assassination of Martin Luther King to the Senate love-fest for Strom Thurmond. But I also saw that for my students the term “the future” meant something that it no longer does for me. They have more of it lying ahead of them, and what they have might be so much worse than what waits for me. So Obama offers them correspondingly greater hope. I’m not envious. The hope he offers me is more than enough.
The fact sizable tracts of American voters chose to limit rights for gays and lesbians at the same time as they were placing an African-American in the presidency is evidence of the stubborn physical laws of bigotry. Dam it one place and it surges forth somewhere else, with other victims.
I salute you for your sanity.